2 kids hurt in Basilan grenade explosion

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Two young children were wounded in a grenade attack on the house of a town vice mayor in Basilan province, a known bailiwick of the Al-Qaeda- linked Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) on Monday night.

Police said two men riding in tandem on a motorcycle were seen leaving the area after the twin explosions at about 7 p.m. that targeted the house of Tabuan Lasa Vice Mayor Samir Manisan in Barangay Doña Ramona, Isabela City.

Manisan was not at home when the attack was staged, and police said they have launched an investigation into the blasts. Policemen have recovered two safety levers and pins of Mk 2 grenades at the site, and said that the attackers lobbed the grenades from the outside.

It was unclear whether or not the attack was political, but police said no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the explosions that also damaged portions of Manisan’s house.

Isabela City police chief Supt. Jerome Afuyog said the injured victims have the same surnames as the vice mayor, but it was not clear how they are related.

Manisan ran unopposed under the Liberal Party (LP) in the May 2016 synchronized elections.

Tabuan Lasa, which has been a town for only eight years, is composed of four islands with 12 barangays, and has a population of 18,635 people.